Lighthouse

No complaints about that. Congrats Jose.

It always seemed to work quite well in the past. We had one thread, with all our updated transfers in the original post, then endless pages of all this none-sense. Kept it all off the rest of the main board. I was reliably informed by my dog this morning, "woof." I didn't feel the need to start a thread about it though.

In roughly chronological order: - Knocking Blackpool out of the cup, Holloways rant, then drawing Utd again a day or 2 later. - Skiing in the Alps in January, I asked the receptionist if he could find out the Saints score. We'd just won 6-0 at Oldham. I had to check the screen because I didn't believe him. - A couple of days later I asked the same receptionist for the score. 0-0 at home to Notts Co. Boring in itself, but I didn't know at the time we'd win every home league game for the next 11 months. - Playing Utd in the cup. First time I'd been to a game against a properly big side. Chaplow scored a thunderbolt just before break and I went mental. - Going 2-0 down at home to Franchise and going balistic when Forte equalised. Then I knew it was only a matter of time for the winner. - Going to work 1-0 down at Brighton. Getting there, checking my phone and we'd won in the 89th minute. Loved all the youtube clips I saw when I got home. - My alarm clock waking me up on May 2nd to tell me Bin Laden had been killed. 10 hours later I watched Saints win 3-1 at Plymouth on SSN to gain promotion. That was a good day. - A week later going to Southampton without a ticket for the sold out party at home to Walsall, only for my selfless Grandparents to lend me theirs. - Singing "The Saints are going up" against Walsall and going 3-1 up. With seconds left, the Kingsland lino right in front of me sprinted accross the pitch towards the tunnel. Followed by the whistle, 10,000 Saints fans and myself. - Seeing that AOC had been sold, then seeing the number "£15,000,000" and laughing my Arsenal off. - Beating Leeds convincingly in the opening game of the season. First opening day since the 90s. - Going to Fratton Park on the bus and the riotous chanting and shouting at the Skates. - Lambert's goal right in front of me. - Going top of the table and not giving it up for the rest of 2011 (baring an absolute d*cking against Bristol on Friday) That's about it really. Such an uneventful year.

He's 24 and rarely troubles the bench in the Championship. I don't really think I'd class that as Premier League potential, even ignoring all his injury problems. Also he's not all that different to Lallana. Skilled, good on the ball and can put in a decent delivery, but really not up to much when it comes to strength or pace. I'd like to find another De Ridder/Antonio/AOC type winger who can run at players and cause them problems. Forte has to move on, sooner rather than later. Hopefully he doesn't just turn into another Pulis/Forecast happy just to sit out the entirity of his contract with endless loans to lower league sides. He is an average League 1 player, nothing more. Not a Championship player and certainly not a Premier League player. He gave us 3 great minutes against MK Dons, but has done bugger all else.

Yep. Scored for Posh in the 4-4 at London Road last year.

One of these (Kalashnikov 1000) Looks pretty good, rhobust and keeps good time. All I need really. Not into bling at all, although I think wearing a cheap plastic watch looks a bit tacky sometimes.

They were probably hoping you'd kill yourself with it.

That is the nature of accademies and indeed football. It's nothing we should really regret, players who slipped through the net and ended up in the Premier League are rare. Leon Best has shown a few glimmers of potential for the Barcodes, but has yet to trouble double figures in the scoring charts. Scott McDonald was pretty good in Scotland. Other than that I'm really struggling to think of players we've let go, who then set the world alight. For every player there are several dosen Craig Richards, Leandre Griffits and Simon Gilletts who drift off into obscurity.

Both. Wright was a below average player, well past his very limited best. Yes he was sh*te, but he got a lot of unfair stick because he was engraved on Burley's team sheet. Don't think I've ever been as angry at a game of football as Saints 0-3 Watford in 2007. Wright played LB, Euell played LM. Both were complete gash and we had Vignal and Skacel on the bench. Dear God, those were dark days. I actually hated the last season of Burley's era more than the Wotte/Portaloo era. Euell seemed to play 30 odd games a season and put in 5 decent performances in each other them. Some people were fooled into thinking he was alright. I always thought he was a donkey. Completely forgettable scoring record too. Guly is inconsistent, but seems to chip in with the goals. He's a bit like Rasiak IMO. Yes he scored 2 goals, but he isn't beyond criticism for his performance just because of that. A decent performance against Palace doesn't erase his Pompey performance, or prove his doubters wrong. Similarly a poor performance on Friday wont make yesterday's performance crap. How about a player we can all agree on. Darren Powell. Christ alive he was dreadful.

I see no reason to go blowing up innocent civilians just because they had a complete nut job as a leader. The Falklands was just a diversion to try and boost public opinion because Argentina was in the toilet ecconomically. Can you imagine if we'd gone into Iraq with Bush and Blair saying "we're going to bomb the sh*t out of the guys in Baghdad". There'd be outrage. Agree about the Belgrano. If you're in a war, you're in a war. You can't just turn your arse to the enemy and claim innocence.

Rest first team players and give it our absolute 100% best with whoever's left. Bear in mind that pretty much everyone rests a few players for Cup games, so you can go a long way just by turning up and putting a decent shift in, even with a reserve team. If nothing else the prize money isn't bad and when you add the match day sales on top of it, the balance sheets can look all the better for a good cup run.

I've seen you say this quite a few times. I was at that game and I really can't fathom where you're getting that from. That was by far the dullest, most uncreative game we've ever won 3-0. The first goal was a long hoof from Davis which Lambert just nodded past everyone, the second was a penalty after a corner (looked like Fonte dived to me) and the third was pure brilliance from Lambert with that lob. Morgan played alright in that game, but we were largely uncreative throughout. Don't remember him making any telling passes which unlocked their defence.

Early kick offs are always a bit subdued. Most normal people haven't been to the pub for a couple of hours before the game, so aren't particular well oiled. That and it's boxing day, people are a bit hung over and there are a lot of people who don't normally turn up.

Or alternative, Hull are losing. A draw would have been nice there, but TBH I'd always have that one down as a home win. Boro have always been a home team, just like us. All we can do is keep winning. Saints won Leeds lost Hull lost Cardiff drew Leicester drew Only Boro, Blackpool and Reading won out of our rivals, so far, and the latter two are still 11/12 points adrift of us.

Coventry away really shouldn't be all that, even for our 'B Team'. If we get through that, maybe we'll get a League 1 side, or another disinterested NpC team at home. Who knows. I'd rest our key players, but you can go quite far in the FA Cup these days just by turning up. If we rest our first team we've still got Bart, Butters, Martin, Harding, Connolly, Holmes and one from Cork/Dean/Morgan. Even without our injured players that's not a bad start to a team.

He actually said "in the second tier of English football" so he was technically right, although that's a bit of an obscure stat.

Just to add: Pompey lost Leeds lost Cardiff drew Boro play Hull later, so at least one of them will drop points. Draw there would be brilliant Reading play Brighton, so again points will be dropped. West Ham have a trip to Brum in the late KO Basically we could well be the only team in the top 10 to win this afternoon. Merry Christmas indeed.

Needed a win after our recent form. Congrats to Guly on a strong comeback from the Pompey game and De Ridder, who sounded like he put in a blinder. On to Bristol on Friday.

Not quite. Wham have got Brum this afternoon and Derby on Saturday. If they win both and we don't beat Brizzle, they go top on NYE. All assuming we don't f**k this up of course.

JD Sports don't sell sports clothing, they sell casual wear for pikeys. The only thing I've ever bought from JD sports is socks.

All about De Ridder according to the 5LE 'taters.

Davis - FR, Fonte, Jos, Fox - Steve, Morgan, Cork, Lallana - Guly, Lambert Subs: Bart, Harding, Martin, Hammond, DC

Can't see one anywhere else. COYR!!!

Surely a factor in this has to be when you shower. I shower in the evenings, so I'd imagine my sheets are cleaner for not having BO from my day to day adventures wiped all over them. I try to cange them every week but can never be arsed, so it often ends up being every 2 or 3 weeks.

My photo got a reply from Jos today. Not sure it's really 'competition winning' material, but it was a good laugh none-the-less. Liking the photo of Fratton Park. Not sure I've ever said that before.